Oiler



United States Patent OILER George C. Mayfield, Richmond Heights, Mo.

Application August 16, 1951, Serial No. 242,149

1 Claim. (Cl. 184-14) This invention relates to oilers and has particular application to difiicultly accessible oil cups in light machinery such as refrigerators and the like.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a device whereby oiling can be accomplished quickly,

easily, and cleanly, even in diflicultly accessible places and which, at the same time, provides a dirt-proof oiling connection.

Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the following specification and accompanying drawing.

In accordance with this invention, generally stated, a lubricant is sealed within a pierceable capsule under sufiicient pressure so that when the capsule is pierced, substantially all of the oil above the rupture is expelled from the capsule. The capsule is adapted to use with a cup which is provided at its bottom with a rupturing element and is so proportioned as to be substantially sealed by the capsule inserted therein.

In the drawings:

Fi ure 1 is a plan view of a series of lubricant filled capsules not yet separated;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in perspective of a separated capsule of the character shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view partly in section showing a capsule inserted within a cup;

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of another embodiment of unseparated capsules;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6--6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a view partly in section showing a capsule impaled upon a hollow prick in accordance with another embodiment of this invention; and

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Figure 1 for an illustrative embodiment of this invention, 1 represents a strip of lubricant-filled capsules 2 separated by a sealed portion 3. As is indicated in Figure 2 the lubricant is generally a liquid 4. As shown in Figure 3, each of the individual, separated capsules retains part of the sealed portions 3, which are wide enough to permit the capsules being cut apart without destroying the seal.

In Figure 4 a cup 10 is shown, having a solid prick 11 at its bottom, and with a passage 12 leading to whatever is to be oiled.

In the embodiment of this invention shown in Figures 7 and 8 the capsule 2 is impaled upon a hollow coneshaped prick 14. The prick 14 is provided with a slot 15 which extends completely through the wall of the prick to provide a passage for the lubricant in the capsule 2. It is also provided with a sharp point 16 which extends within the capsule 2. As is shown in Figures 7 and 8, the capsule 2 embraces the base of the prick 14 below the lower end of the slot 15 so as to form a seal therewith. This sealing action is accomplished by virtue ICC of the characteristics of the materials from which the capsules are made as is hereinafter explained.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 through 4 the capsule 2 is oval in cross-section and is sealed by a flat strip 3. The cup 10 for use with this capsule is also oval in form and is so proportioned that the capsule fits snugly therein to prevent the entrance of foreign matter into the cup after the capsule has been inserted. The embodiment of capsule 22 shown in Figures 5 and 6 is round in cross-section as are the sealed areas 23. It can be seen that in order to provide a snug fit, a cup 10 suitable for use with a capsule 22 should also be round in cross-section.

The capsules 2 and 22 are made of material which is not adversely affected by the lubricant. The material of which they are made may have sufficient resilience so that when the capsule is ruptured by the prick 11 the contraction of the walls of the capsule forces the lubricant therefrom. In producing such capsules it is convenient to fill a long tube of such resilient material with lubricant, seal the ends of the tube (placing the lubricant under pressure if desired) and then form the individual capsules by pinching the tubing together at regular intervals and sealing the pinched sections. In the capsule of the embodiment shown in Figures 5 and 6 the tube may be twisted and then sealed. It can be seen that the constriction of the volume within the tube by the pinching or twisting of the tube to form the individual capsules increases the pressure within each of the capsules. It is desirable for the sake of simplicity in manufacture to be able to heat-seal the capsules, but at a temperature below that at which the lubricant is affected detrimentally. Suitable materials for this purpose are Transflex (made by the Irvington Varnish and Insulator Company), Ceran (made by the Dow Chemical Co.), neoprene, polyethylene and cellulose acetate. These materials, while resilient, have a tendency to conform to the impaling prick and to resist tearing.

Another way in which expulsion of the lubricant may be effected is by entrapping a bubble of gas in each capsule and compressing the gas when the capsule is filled or formed so that the expansion of the gas when the capsule is ruptured expels the lubricant. Figure 3 illustrates a capsule in which a gas bubble 5 is entrapped. This latter system may be employed with capsule materials which are not sufiiciently elastic to expel the lubricant by virtue of their elasticity alone or it may be used in conjunction with such materials as are sufficiently elastic. Cellophane and numerous other plastics are suitable materials for this purposej To use a capsule constructed in accordance with this invention it is only necessary to thrust it into the cup 10 until it is ruptured by the prick 11. The capsule may be left in position to form a seal until it is desired again to lubricate the machine to which the cup is attached.

If the sealed area between the capsules along the tube is sufficiently wide to produce enough pressure to insure the expulsion of the lubricant when the capsule is ruptured the tube will not have to be put under pressure when the two ends are initially sealed. The amount of internal pressure necessary will of course depend upon the characteristics of the material of which the capsules are made. While the use of a long tube has been suggested as a simple method of manufacturing, it can be seen that the capsules may be made individually and that they may be pressure sealed or so crirnped or clamped as to be sealed without the application of heat.

Ordinarily the lubricant used in this invention will be an oil or other liquid. However, particularly when use is made of a bubble of compressed gas, such as air, the lubn'cant may be finely divided graphite or the like.

A hollow prick such as that shown in Figures 7 and 8 is especially suitable for graphite, and the like, since it inhibits the graphites being blown out.

Thus it can be seen that an oiling device is provided which is simple, cheap to produce, clean and effective.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A lubricating device comprising an elastic-walled nonmetallic capsule containing lubricant under superatmospheric pressure, and a hollow prick upon which said capsule is impaled, said prick having a sharp point extending within said capsule, and being provided with a passage adjacent the sharp point whereby the interior of the capsule communicates with the interior of the said prick,

said capsule embracing the said prick about the perimeter thereof to form a seal therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Van Orsdale Oct. 12, 1920 Plaster Mar. 24, 1936 Speare June 8, 1937 Harks Sept. 13, 1938 Schukraft May 16, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain of 1913 Austria June 11, 1934 

